What kind of a leader are you?
Fun exercise: Ask your team what type of leader you are. Then ask them what type of leader they would like.
Do most describe you in 1 or 2 leadership styles? Or all-over the board. Both answers can be correct. If people you ask are all working on same narrow project you want them to see you in same way. On the other hand, if your team is made up of people with various styles and you are coaching them based on their needs, that’s good also.
Any of them describe you as curious leader?
It’s a great leadership style. If it’s not yours, cultivate some of the traits.
Lots of words used to describe curious leader.
Humble
Asks question instead of giving answers
Listens first
Builds trust
Makes tough decisions
Rewards performance (while making tough decisions)
Protects their time while
Coaching others
Curious leaders build resilience and better decision making. That leads to strong relationships and encourages innovation.
But are you a curious leader? Go back to the 7 above. Rate yourself 1-10 on each. Then ask your team to rate you, same scale. If it takes them more than 2 minutes, not a good sign… for you. Add up scores. Hopefully they are reasonably close.
If not, have this as a topic at next meeting. Ask them how you can increase your rating in each category. Listen carefully. They are giving you pointers on curious leadership.
Showing them you care, starts to show them you are, or want to be, a curious leader.
To improve your own self-assessment: On each project, team is working on, rate yourself on each criteria. What is one thing for each point that you can improve.
This isn’t about making major changes. This is only one aspect of leadership. You are looking for small improvements.
End of project? Ask each team member to rate each other on the 7. Then to give one suggestion to each team member. Talk about importance of curious leadership as they grow their leadership skills and tools. Use this to coach them up.
What have you learned from this exercise? I would appreciate hearing from you. How did you tweak it to make it more effective for you? What would improve it?
Tom Ferree is the founder of Ferree & Associates and SecureEmploy, organizations focused on helping companies find exceptional talent and helping professionals advance their careers. Since founding Ferree & Associates in 1977, Tom has worked extensively with hospitality companies, executives, and rising leaders across the industry. Through SecureEmploy, he shares practical career strategies, leadership insights, and real-world advice to help professionals grow their careers and help organizations build stronger teams.
